the forests and mountains he was constantly of service to the hill
tribesmen, or else the devas, brahmas, ghosts, nãgas, and garuðas.
He was always compassionately assisting the world in some way
or other. In human society he taught monks, novices, nuns, and
lay people from all walks of life without exception. People every-
where sought him out to hear his instructions. They all gained
an enormous benefit from his teachings, always delivered in a
thorough, coherent manner that would be hard for anyone else
to equal.
While he lived in the mountains of Chiang Mai, the hill
tribe people received great joy, listening to his Dhamma discourses
in the late afternoons. Later at night, he taught Dhamma to devas
from various levels of existence, always responding to their many
inquiries. Teaching devas was a heavy responsibility, since it was
difficult to find another monk with the same psychic skills to
stand in for him. Teaching people was a responsibility that could
be delegated to others – at least the people listening would gain
enough understanding to derive some benefit if they made the
effort. Ãcariya Mun’s relationship with devas of all realms was of
primary importance to him. So his biography is interspersed with
stories about them at different times in different places, right to
the very end.
Not so long ago I went to pay my respects to a vipassanã
kammaååhãna ãcariya of the highest caliber, a senior monk with
an exceptionally kind, gentle disposition who is greatly revered
by monks and lay people all over Thailand.^10 When I arrived he
was discussing Dhamma with several of his close disciples, so I
took the opportunity to join them. We began by discussing var-
ious practical aspects of Dhamma, eventually coming around to
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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